USING I N T E R A C T I V E VIDEO COURSEWARE TO TEACH LABORATORY SCIENCE

By Loretta L. Jones and Stanley G. Smith

Why Use Interactive Video? V ideodiscs allow us to use color tele-

vision images with motion in com- puter-based lessons. This technology is particularly useful for the teaching of a laboratory science because it

allows students to see what actually happens in experiments they could not otherwise perform.

The use of computer-controlled video allows chemistry students to work with systems not pos- sible to include in the laboratory, such as explo- sive mixtures, toxic chemicals, and reactions car- ried out at remote sites. Students can also choose the conditions and even which reagents to use in realistic simulated experiments. Since lengthy setup and cleanup procedures are eliminated, stu- dents can repeat experiments as often as they want, trying different strategies each time.

Videodiscs can be used by a teacher in front of a class as well as by individual students. Even without a computer a videodisc player allows an instructor to support a lecture with both moving and still images. "Generic" or "archival" video- discs containing thousands of images are available in many fields. For example, the Bio Sci Video- disc contains 6,000 images from natural science collections.~ Other good sources of science video- discs include the Minnesota Educational Comput-

Loretta L. Jones is Associate Director o f the Gen- eral Chemistry Program at the University o f Illi- nois, Urbana-Champaign and an IBM/ACIS Con- sulting Scholar. Stanley G. Smith is Jubilee Professor o f Chemistry at the University o f Illi- nois, Urbana-Champaign. Jones and Smith are co-authors o f the Exploring Chemistry series o f interactive video lessons, which received the EDUCOM/NCRIPTAL award for best chemistry software in 1987. An expansion o f the series re- ceived the same award for best chemistry soft- ware and best integrated software in 1989.

22 Tech Trends

ing Consortium (MECC) 2 and Ztek. 3 JCE:Soft- ware has also published an inexpensive videodisc on the periodic table. 4

Unlike slide presentations, the final selection of videodisc images to be shown can be made "on the fly" in the middle of class. When a computer is present the instructor need not even remember the frame addresses of the video. PODIUM is a computer program which allows instructors to prepare their own indices for the videodiscs with a word processor. The program then overlays the names of the segments on the video screen and the instructor plays selections by touching their names. 5 Hypermedia authoring environments such as HyperCard (Apple Computer Corporation) and Linkway (IBM Corporation) are also easy to learn and use in the classroom.

Producing the Lessons The usage mode which holds the greatest prom-

ise is that in which students individually or in groups control the video on a videodisc through a computer program. Thus, we decided in 1984 to create and use interactive video lessons with our students. The work was initially funded by Project EXCEL, a joint IBM-University of Illinois pro- gram designed to investigate the educational appli- cations of advanced technologies.

We chose instructional strategies to address the particular goals of each lesson. For example, stu- dents must learn to describe the behavior of gases in terms of the random motions of many small molecules. This motion cannot be seen and it is usually only practical to describe it with text. in the interactive videodisc lessons on gases, stu- dents first play with a video image of a balloon, heating and cooling it or changing its pressure while observing the effect on its volume. Students then observe a simulation of the molecular motion in the balloon while it is undergoing the changes. They can also perform quantitative experiments on a sample of gas by varying the temperature, pressure, or volume. The data are then tabulated,

plotted, and analyzed. The lessons were designed to be so easy to use

that a computer novice can proceed without assist- ance. A variety of authoring systems are available for creating interactive video courseware, ranging from modified programming languages to complete menu- driven systems. However, because some highly sophisticated interactions were required, the lessons were all written in MicroSoft QuickBASIC. The lessons combine video and computer graphics on the same screen in order to maximize student interaction with the video images.

Incorporating Interactive Video into Courses The interactive video lessons have allowed us

to create a new lab course for the first semester of general chemistry. The new course alternates weeks of laboratory work with self-paced interac- tive video lessons. This has relieved a potential overcrowding condition in the laboratories and has made some lab space available for improve- ments. In addition, lab instructors spend less time monitoring the laboratory and grading reports and more time working individually with students. The lessons are designed both to supplement the labo- ratory experiments and to prepare students to per- form procedures they will use later in lab. Since the experimental observations can be immediately interpreted and analyzed with the aid of the com- puter program, content learning can be enhanced beyond what is possible with traditional methods. In addition, more open-ended experiments which

IBM XT computers, three are PS/2 model 30s, and 6 are PS/2 Model 50s. These are networked with the IBM PC Network running with the IBM PC Local Area Network Program. The server is an IBM AT microcomputer. The local area net- work can also be connected to the University Ad- missions Office so that rosters can be transferred electronically. Most of the student stations have IBM InfoWindow touch screen monitors, but the most recently installed machines use the new lower cost IBM M-Motion adapter to display the images on a standard computer monitor using a mouse interface.

As many as 1,800 students at a time have as- signments which they must complete for course credit on the system. Since we cannot provide individual instruction, the system had to be de- signed so that students with no knowledge of computers can use it without help or instructions. Clear, specific, directions on what to do appear on every display.

Because the lessons are used as a required part of a course and students receive credit for their work, access to the lessons is provided through a special management system which tracks student progress and scores on randomly generated online quizzes.

Gains in Student Learning Controlled studies have shown that these les-

sons can be used to teach students the concepts of chemistry as well as traditional methods. 7 In

require students to plan strategies are possible.

Managing and Supporting Usage At the University of Illinois, chemistry students

work interactive video lessons in a learning center operated by the chemistry department. 6 The cen- ter includes a resource area, a tutoring program, tables for study, and computer workstations. The room, which is located in the same building as the general chemistry labs, is open 84 hours a week so students may work when they wish.

At this time the interactive video learning sys- tem has 48 student stations, a proctor station and a server. Thirty-nine of the student stations are

addition, they provide exposure to more kinds of experiences. Surveys of students show that the lessons are enjoyed by the students and that they find them to be a valuable learning experience.

We studied the effect of using the courseware as a ~preparation for laboratory work in the fall of 1986~by observing students in the laboratory. Students who had completed interactive video training were reported to approach new equip- ment confidently, as though they had used it be- fore, seeking help only when they ran into a prob- lem, while students who had prepared by reading appeared to be intimidated by the equipment and hesitant to begin without help. The latter group also made more errors and took longer than the

Volume 35/Number 6/1990 23

group which had been prepared with interactive video.

The content of the course has been enhanced by the use of the interactive video lessons, with their access to hazardous reactions and to mean- ingful applications. In addition, students are better prepared for their laboratory work. This has al- lowed us to upgrade the experiments used in the laboratory. In fact, we have found that the combi- nation of labs and computer-based lessons has allowed us to increase the amount of skills train- ing without increasing the time spent in lab. Effective lab skills training is usually limited by class size. For example, in a two-hour experi- ment, a teaching assistant with 25 students has only five minutes per student for individual atten- tion. In a two-hour videodisc lesson there are many opportunities for individual guidance.

Other Uses of Interactive Video At Kansas State University, Dean Zollman has

fully integrated interactive videodisc lessons into a course m physics for students in elementary ed- ucation. Students attend an open lab in which they both learn physics and learn how to teach it. Interactive video is used to provide laboratory experiences for topics it would be difficult or im- possible to study otherwise. For example, mo- ments of inertia can be studied in real systems, such as auto accidents, rather than by using con- trived apparatus. 9 Students can also model the motion of a high-jumper by tracing the position of the athlete in freeze-frame mode at thirtieth of a second intervals on a transparent acetate sheet laid on the screen. The data are analyzed with the aid of the computer, allowing the center of gravity and other variables to be determined.l~ Students report results as they do for their other labs.

At UCLA, students in organic chemistry courses learn to solve nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) problems by using an interactive videodisc with thousands of spectra.ll Many different types of spectra are presented and help is available if students get stuck.

The State of the Art The interactive videodisc lessons used at the

University of Illinois provide half of the labora- tory credit in the first semester of general chemis- try. By alternating weeks of laboratory work with interactive video lessons, the overall functioning of the instructional laboratory has been improved, while at the same time management costs have decreased. Most important, there has been an in- crease in student learning.

These lessons are used in more than one hun- dred other schools: high schools, colleges, and universities. 12 It is likely that the use of interac- tive videodisc technology will continue to grow. We cannot replace the teacher with technology. However, the time students spend using technol-

24 Tech Trends

ogy for learning is time during which the teacher is free to address individual problems. Thus, the technology provides opportunities for both teach- ers and students to better utilize their time.

References 1. Videodiscovery, Inc., P.O. Box 85878, Seattle,

WA 98145. 2. MECC, 3490 Lexington Avenue North, Saint

Paul, MN 55126 (612/481-3500). 3. Ztek Co., P.O. Box 1968, Lexington, KY 40593

(800/247-1603). 4. Banks, A. J. (1989). The Periodic Table Video-

disc. Journal of Chemical Education, 66, 19-20. 5. Willoughby, J. L. (1989). Videodiscs Come of

Age in the Classroom. University of Delaware Magazine, Winter, 1988-89, 30-36.

6. Jones, L. L., Karloski, J. L., & Smith, S. G. (1987). A General Chemistry Learning Center: Using the Interactive Videodisc. Academic Computing, September, 36-37 & 54.

7. Smith, S. G., & Jones, L. L. (1989). Images, Imagination, and Chemical Reality. Journal of Chemical Education, 66, 8-11.

8. Jones, L. L., Enhancing Instruction in the Practice of Chemistry with the Computer-As- sisted Interactive Videodisc, Trends in Analyti- cal Chemistry, 1988, 7, 273-276.

9. Zollman, D. (1984). Physics and Automobile Collisions. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons.

10. Zollman, D., Noble, M. L., & Curtin, R. (1987). Modelling the Motion of an Athlete: an Interactive Video Lesson for Teaching Physics. Journal of Education Technology Systems, 15(3), 249-257.

11. Russell, A. & Chapman, O. L. (1988). FT- NMR Problems. Alpha-Omega, Inc., 3930 Mandeville Cyn. Rd., Los Angeles, CA 90049 (213/476-5019).

12. Exploring Chemistry, Falcon Software, P.O. Box 200, Wentworth, NH (603/764-5788). �9

This article is reprinted with permission from Spectrum, the Illinois Science Teachers Associa- tion Journal. Portions of this article have ap- peared in a pamphlet by L. L. Jones and S. G. Smith entitled Exploring Chemistry: An Educa- tor's Perspective.